Rachael Ashe
Hometown
Vancouver, B.C.
What Do You Do at Crafted Vancouver?
I’ve been involved since the first year of the festival, and I am a member of the Crafted Advisory Team. I assist with reaching out to fellow craftspeople to get involved with the festival. I have participated in Crafted Vancouver events each year, and co-curated a group exhibition of paper artists in 2019.
Describe Your Artistic Practice
I am a graduate of the Creative Photography program at Humber College, and self-taught in papercraft. I create hand-cut artwork, sculpture and installation from paper, inspired by visual patterns found in nature, and influenced by textile design and production. I’m attracted to techniques that involve repetitive action as a form of meditation and devotional labour. I credit my former position as a photographer at the Textile Museum of Canada, and an extensive exposure to handcrafted textiles, as a major influence on my work with paper to this day.
My favourite hike...
is the trail around Killarney Lake on Bowen Island, B.C.
Favourite cup of tea:
I drink Dilmah black tea with oat milk and honey to start my day.
Inspired by:
Cal Lane, and her incredible large-scale cut metal sculptures. I saw her work in a small show at Grunt Gallery a few years ago and was blown away by her work.
A book that changed my life:
New Directions in Altered Books by Gabe Cyr because it inspired me to start working with paper, books, and making mixed media sculpture.
